"Efficiency first" American fire truck

In firefighting and rescue, time is the most precious. The sooner the firefighters devote themselves to the firefighting and rescue work, the less the people and society will suffer.

Therefore, for the design of fire engines, the higher the speed and stability of the fire engines, the less the ineffective operation of firefighters and the higher the efficiency of fire fighting and rescue. Here are some examples of typical designs of American fire trucks. They describe in detail the many efforts made by the American fire trucks to enable firefighters to quickly start rescue operations.

Shortening time to the scene

Fire trucks need to react quickly and reach the fire-fighting rescue site safely at the first time. This requires the chassis of the fire engine to have excellent acceleration performance, sensitive and accurate handling performance, intelligent and easy-to-maneuver drivability, and long-lasting reliability and durability. Wait. This is mainly reflected in three aspects: engine power, independent front suspension, disc brake, and automatic transmission.

1 . Engine power

U.S. fire engines generally use high-power engines and radiators, which have superior acceleration performance. For example, Spartan 's Metro Star~4~2 rescue fire engine chassis has an engine power range of 220~330 kW ; Gladiator~4x2 towed ladder fire truck chassis ( 42m long ladder ) with an engine power of 379 kW ( the series of chassis engines 294 ~ 441 kW power range); TelStar 6X4 ladder truck chassis, the engine power up to 400kW; Pierce company Saber ~ 4 × 2 truck chassis, the engine power 22l ~ 3l 2kW range: Quantum 4 × 2 truck chassis, the engine Power in the 334 to 379kW range: The VelocityTM 4 x 2 chassis engine power is in the 254 to 386kW range.

2 . Independent front suspension and disc brake

The higher the speed of the fire truck, the shorter it takes to reach the fire rescue scene. Pierce , Seagrave , Ferrara and Spartan fire engine companies with independent chassis development and manufacturing capabilities use independent front suspension with disc brakes to increase the speed and flexibility of the fire truck. Pierce 's TAK - 4 independent front suspension system can reduce the stopping distance by 23 % , making the fire truck equipped with independent front suspension more flexible and more sensitive to braking. Seagrave 's independent front suspension system uses air suspension for better shock absorption, minimizing rollover and improving driving comfort and stability. Ferrara 's IFS independent front suspension system has a rated load capacity of up to I1t , and the maximum distance for the up and down movement of the wheel shaft is 254 mm . The shock absorption effect is good, and the ability to withstand rough and uneven road surfaces is stronger. Spartan Company Metro Sta series fire and Gladiato chassis with independent suspension system IFS before a maximum steering angle is 53. , to be able to work in the narrow streets of the city.

3 . Automatic Transmission

American fire truck chassis equipped with Allison transmission, such as Spartan 's MetroStar ~ rescue fire engine chassis equipped with Allison GEN IV-E 3000 transmission, TelStar ladder fire engine chassis equipped with Allison GEN IV-E 4000 EVS transmission, ForceTMS ~ j anti-car chassis mounted Allison GEN IV-E 3000 EVS transmission; Pierce company Saber 4 ~ 25 ~ anti chassis mounted transmission Allison EVS 3000, Quantum. 4 ~ 25 ~ anti chassis mounted Allison EVS 4000 transmission, VelocityTM 4 × 2 truck chassis mounted Allison EVS 3000/4000 transmission.

EVS S~[IGEN 1V - E series transmission is an Allison transmission specially designed for fire engine applications. It has two unique features for the fire truck industry:

(1) Fire truck control procedures. Tailor-made computer control programs to meet the special needs of fire engines. For example, when the engine speed is higher than 900 minutes , the control program of the general truck does not allow the gear to go from neutral to the other gear. However, the fire truck control program can increase the speed limit to l 260 r / min . The accelerating nature of the fire truck started, and it gained valuable time for reaching the scene as soon as possible.

(2) Fire truck fire pump mode. When combined with the off-axis power take-off and select the “ D ” gear, the transmission control system allows the gear to be directly linked to the 4th gear, so that the output of the l : 1 speed ratio takes power.

Reduce implementation time

After the fire truck reaches the scene of firefighting and rescue, each action of the firefighters will affect the speed and effectiveness of firefighting and rescue. Therefore, the storage and fixation of various types of fire-fighting and rescue tools and equipment are particularly important.

1 . Pre-connected fire hose

Some fire-fighting pump and tanker parts of the United States are connected to fire-fighting pumps and water guns. After reaching the site, fire fighting and rescue work can be carried out directly, and it is not necessary to reach the fire site before connecting. Only when the fire site is far away from the parking position of the fire truck, it is necessary to carry out the continuous operation of the hose, which can win more precious time for fire fighting operations.

2 . Fire hoses stored nearby

Fire hose is a tool that is used frequently in firefighting and rescue. Therefore, it is particularly important that the layout of the fire hose is reasonable. In the United States, fire fighting vehicles are generally selected according to the principle of proximity, and the fire hoses are generally stored at a position close to the fire pump.

I1 l front bumper storage area

The front bumper of American fire trucks is mostly a long nose structure design, and is generally divided into several layout blocks. The structure that can be selected for design and installation includes winch area, water gun storage area, fire hose storage area, pump inlet and outlet pipe area, and police. Bell area, etc. Generally, the right side of the front bumper is the pump inlet and outlet pipe area, the left side is the alarm area, the middle part is the water gun, fire hose storage area or winch area, very few fire engines are in front of the insurance The middle part of the bar is also equipped with a pump. The design of this long nose structure takes into account the humanization and the quickness of firefighting and rescue. The decentralized operation mode can reduce the bottleneck caused by excessive concentration of personnel and cause firefighting and rescue.

I2) Pump storage area

Different models, fire hose layout area is different, but there is a common principle is that the fire hose layout area must be adjacent to the pump, easy firefighters the first time fire water, foam transfer to the scene of the fire. The common pump arrangement is located behind the cab, with side control and top control. This is one of the characteristics of the United States fire engine different from other regions. For models with pump inlets and outlets located in the middle of the vehicle, the fire hose storage area is generally located in the central side area of ​​the vehicle, next to the pump inlet and outlet, and is often located below the pump: there is also a pump above the pump and the pump In front of the Pu, more fire hoses are generally arranged along the vehicle's axis above the vehicle.

3 . PS6TM seat

Pierce 's PS6TM seat back tilts 7 . 5 . The hollow backrest part can accommodate the respirator, SCBA gripper, no need for hand-holding, and good comfort. Firefighters can wear respirators on the way to the fire rescue site instead of arriving at the fire scene, which can reduce the preparation time for firefighters to carry out firefighting and rescue work.

4 . The tilt of the equipment box can be extended

The operation of taking and putting fire equipment is mainly achieved by two methods: one is to directly operate on the ground; the other is to stand on the pedal of the fire engine. Obviously, standing on the pedal will affect the operation time of taking fire equipment, so that firefighters have to spend time to get up and down the pedal. In order to shorten the operation time of the pick-and-place equipment, it is possible to use a tilted outreach structure shelf to ensure that firefighters can easily access fire equipment when standing on the ground, and reduce accidents such as sprains.

5 . Ergonomic pump control panel

Using Pierce 's Control Zone® area controlled pump panel as an example, control panel operation is simplified through the use of color and standard joysticks. Because the control handles are grouped by function, the operator can move from one device to the next without hesitation, which is convenient and quick and avoids misoperation.

6 . Multi-member low inlet dedicated chassis cab

The ordinary fire engine is a 6 -seat double-row cabin, while the US-specific chassis fire engine adopts a low-population design with standard 6- occupants that can be expanded to approximately 3 rows of seats for 8 or 10 occupants . The appearance of the cab, the layout of the occupant's seat. This cab has a flat top, a top and a top. The top and top are both the height of the rear part of the cab, ie the height of the cab of the occupant area ( firefighters ) except the driver and the commander . In general, the top and top of the self-made chassis are more than 1 in the driving space . Above 7 m , firefighters can wear fire fighting clothing and walking upright in the cab. One of the greatest advantages of this low-population cab is that the first-step step-by-step ground clearance is small, generally in the range of 400-450mm , and the driver and passenger get on and off at a fast speed, reducing the time spent on getting on and off the car.

General firefighters wear the fire fighting suits on the vehicle, which can reduce the time spent on the scene and wear it. Firefighters wearing heavy fire fighting suits need more space to get on and off, and the opening angle of the doors directly affects the smoothness of firefighters getting on and off. To facilitate access by firefighters wearing heavy fire fighting suits, Seagrave 's Sentinel series fire engine cab door opening angle has been expanded to 90 . , is the industry's largest open door angle.

7 . Storage near the equipment

The fire extinguishing and rescue equipment and tools of the American fire truck are also very elaborate. In general, the parts related to the first-time fire-fighting and rescue function adopt the principle of proximity arrangement. For example, water guns, water hoses, and pumps are usually arranged in the same area, reducing firefighters' access. Invalid time for putting equipment: For models such as rescue fire trucks, ladder fire trucks and other vehicles that need to carry a wheel cover with the car, the wheel cover is generally arranged near the wheel, usually arranged behind the steering wheel in front of the driving wheel, ie the firefighters cover up. The wheel storage area can be hidden directly after removing the mask. Some fire trucks lay axe and other breaking tools on the inner panel of the door, and the firefighters remove the axes before getting off the train. After getting off the train, they can directly carry out rescue work; some fire fighting handles are arranged on the outer panel of the door or the pump panel. In the past, the firefighters can take down the axe and start the rescue work.

8 . Pump position and control panel exposure

The main city fire-fighting fire trucks ( tank trucks and pump trucks ) are generally arranged in the middle of the vehicle, that is, behind the cab, and adopt a centralized control mode. The control panel is located on the driver's side. Generally, there is no pumping bin door to remove the switch bin. This ineffective operation of the door won valuable time for firefighters to quickly start fire fighting and rescue work. Because the forest fire truck needs to carry out fire extinguishing while traveling, it does not need an external water source. Therefore, the pump is generally arranged at the rear end of the vehicle, and the manipulating portion is still arranged in the middle of the vehicle, that is, behind the cab. The advantage of manipulating the control zone behind the cab is that it is closest to the cab. Therefore, the firefighters have the shortest time from getting out of the car to deploy the firefighting rescue work.

There are two arrangements on the left and top of the American fire truck control manoeuvring area, but in either case, the control and control areas are next to the cab, so the firefighters can rush to the pump control operation in the shortest time after getting off the train. area. In general, the control manoeuvring area is arranged at the top of the fire engine. The firefighters are standing next to the cab and the firefighters are facing away from the cab. The standing zone is located at a short distance from the cab, and it is even possible to board the standing area directly from the cab.

Reduce staff

For the same operation, the fewer firefighters that need to participate, the more efficient the firefighters can extinguish the fire. Therefore, U.S. fire trucks try to reduce the concentration of personnel so as to prevent many people from participating in the same operation.

1 . Fire hose retractor

After arriving at the fire scene, it was a pain to drag and drop the fire hoses stored on the roof. After all, the thick fire hoses were heavy and hard, requiring great effort. What is even more painful is that, after completing the fire-fighting and rescue work, the large fire hoses must be neatly received by the tape storage area one foot by one foot. In general, the storage of fire engine hoses stored on the roof requires more than two firefighters ( one standing on the ground and one standing on the vehicle ) . It takes time and effort, and firefighters standing on the top of the roof will fall or fall. Sprains.

At present, many US fire truck manufacturers have launched a mechanism for lifting the fire hose storage area on the roof, which can be lifted up and down or tilted forward and backward, or a mechanism that can be extended to both sides or the rear of the vehicle so that firefighters can stand on the ground. Fire hose retractable operation is more efficient and more labor-saving, thereby shortening the time for fire engines to transfer from a fire scene to the next fire scene.

Pierce Inc. developed its own proprietary PackMule front and rear incline lifting hose retractor. Ramping back and forth by Pierce PackMule hose retraction mechanism, lowered to waist height (965N 1 1 18 mm) requires only 26 S. PackMule allows firefighters to put fire hoses in a more comfortable position, which can reduce the muscle strain of firefighters, and can reduce the over-squeezing of the hose caused by the hoses placed on the fire hose. The PackMule retractable mechanism is driven by a power take-off mounted on the transmission. It can store 38 m or 25 ITI long diameter 127 mm fire hoses and 10 m long 63 mm fire hoses. The reversible control panel is mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Close to the driver's side, it is extremely easy to use.

2 . Turning the roof landing ladder mechanism Usually, the landing ladder is placed on the roof, and the firefighters take the floor ladder.

All need to climb the top of the fire engine, and usually need two people, one on the roof, one on the ground, taking a long time landing ladder. In order to shorten the time for taking out and landing ladders and reduce unnecessary personnel input, many fire engine companies have launched flip-top roof landing ladders so that firefighters can easily access the floor ladder when standing on the ground.

Uninterrupted water supply

Because fire hydrants can be easily found in every corner of the city, fire fighting and rescue in urban areas generally require only pump trucks or ladder trucks. The rural residents are scattered and it is not easy to put fire hydrants. The villages are usually located close to lakes, ponds and ditches. Farther away, therefore, fire fighting in rural areas often requires both pump trucks and tankers. However, firefighting and rescue require continuous water supply, and ordinary tankers have limited water supply. Therefore, when the fire is serious, once the tanker runs out of water, the pump truck must be disconnected from the tanker and compared with another tanker. Then. This type of intermittent water supply is not conducive to the development of fire fighting and rescue work. U.S. tankers used in rural areas generally quickly discharge water into mobile pools. Multiple tankers can supply water to the same pool, and pump trucks can directly take water from the pool as if they were taking water from a continuous source such as a lake. In order to achieve the purpose of rapid water discharge, the drains of tankers are generally square or circular in cross-section, with large cross-sectional area and fast discharge speed.

The information in this article comes from the Internet and was reorganized and edited by China Rescue Equipment Network.